Solflare: The Painter's Secret

Chapter 286: The Yellow Duckling Socks

Brown leaves of the fig at the sides of the fountain danced in the air while the base of Leon’s boots hit the ground with soft thuds.

Each step he took bounced the fallen leaves back into the air until he stopped by the fountain. Where is everything?

The upward flow of the fountain’s water was now flowing downward like a giant tree that had its head chopped off. The clear pool of the fountain was now a birthplace for mosquitoes and a graveyard for the sun’s rays and the fig tree’s leaves.

A glass clicking sound echoed the moment Leon shifted his gaze from the fountain and focused on the glass wall of the building.

Memories of the smooth glass surfaced in his head when he moved two steps forward. The past and the future state of the building reeled side-by-side in Leon’s head with every blink of his eyes.

A hasty wind, carrying the joyous laughter of Lily, blew by Leon’s side and pushed his red-gold cloth upward. Lily’s face glowed in the blades of the Hi-no-Kami in a blur when Leon stopped at the front of the building’s glass door.

Leon stretched his hand to turn the door handle but stopped when he saw the dried blood outline on it.

Sharp air hissed out of his lungs while bloodied veins spread through his eyeballs. His dual hearts hammered against his chest like a war drum the moment the inside curtain frayed upward and granted him a glimpse of the hallway’s drastic state.

A glass and metal groaning sound echoed when Leon forcefully pushed the door open and entered.

Every drop of blood in his body froze the moment he slowly closed the dismantled door behind him and lifted his head.

Insects swarmed in the small heaven he had created for his mother, sister, and the lady he was planning on marrying.

Huge cobwebs sprawled at the corners of the ceiling when Leon moved from the entrance hallway and pushed the sitting room door open.

What is that smell? A sharp death scent dashed into his lungs and welcomed him into the new, hellish nature of the sitting room.

The upholstery stuffing swirled about in the room like birds that had no place to go, while the curtains danced in the dim room like happy ghosts.

Tears cascaded from Leon’s face when he saw the yellow box of the duckling socks he had bought and sent as a gift for Lily.

The golden layer of the war suit he wore trembled when his knees buckled and hit the ground. Who did this?

Soft thudding sounds echoed when tears fell from his chin and splashed onto the ground.

Li Mei’s hum filled the room as the rays of the early evening moon shone from the glass wall and landed on the empty wheelchair.

Mom. An unsteady voice filled the sitting room when Leon crawled forward and wrapped his arms around the front guards of the wheelchair. Mom, I have finally come home.

In Leon’s eyes he saw the legs of Li Mei moving upward slightly and felt her brown gown brushing against his face.

The moment he lifted his gaze from the leg stand, Leon stumbled backward. A loud hissing sound echoed when two rotten rats with red irises caught his eyes.

Leon’s own soul bounced in and out of his body when he focused on the rats and saw Li Mei and Lily instead. No, no, no!

Chilled air swept into the room when he rushed forward with open arms and a sunken face. The wheelchair swung back and forth the moment Leon wrapped his hands around it.

The voice of Lord Sky, the junior commander of the Skywarden, flashed in Leon’s head when crow cries echoed from outside the building.

What a waste. Setting him free means he will have to join his vegetable family.

I WOULD HAVE KILLED MY MOTHER AND SISTER IF I WERE TO BE IN LEON STORM’S POSITION!

No, I didn’t kill them. I didn’t. Leon screamed in his head the moment the sinister smiles of Overlord Luo Fang and Lord Hayes appeared before him as if they stood by his side.

What a waste. You are nothing but trash. That is what you will forever be.

The metals of the wheelchair reddened and began to boil when the golden glow blazed out of Leon.

In seconds, the titanium wheelchair Lord Hei Yung had gifted to Li Mei turned to dust piece by piece.

The debris unwrapped itself from Leon and drifted toward the ceiling of the sitting room.

Leon’s eyes blazed with a red, blue, grey, and black glow when he lifted his gaze to the duckling socks case.

His blazing eyes snapped toward the sitting room entrance when wet footsteps followed by Lily’s laughter drifted by it.

Lily, is that you? Leon pushed himself off the floor and rushed to the door. A faint trail of blood stretched out from his back when the blades of the Hi-no-Kami blazed and cut a thin line across his skin.

Pain rattled through his spine, but Leon did not stop. He rushed forward with a desperate urge to grab the laughing and running Lily.

Leon, I am in the kitchen.

He dashed and kicked the kitchen door open, only to find uncooked vegetables that had rotted and were gracing the kitchen with a corpse scent.

I am going to my room, Leon. The voice echoed at the front of the kitchen door when Leon focused on the rotten ginger.

His leg hit the cutting table and he fell when he turned to chase after the voice. But he crawled his way out of the room.

He pushed himself to his feet the moment he saw a ghostlike black robe climbing the stairs.

A sharp metal clinging sound echoed when Leon drew one of the Hi-no-Kami and climbed the stairs.

Just as he reached the top and stopped at Li Mei’s room, all the blazing energy dried out from him when he pushed the door open.

Blackened golden lightning tore through the dark sky like a tree root when Leon placed his right leg in the room.

Bloodied tears trailed down from Leon’s eyes after taking just two steps inside.

The blades of the Hi-no-Kami caught the falling tears when Leon’s grip loosened. The sword rolled in the air alongside the tears until both of them slammed onto the golden carpet and bounced.

The moment the metal bouncing sound stopped, one of the yellow duckling socks lying at the edge of the bed reflected in Leon’s dead eyes.